Press release
Minister McConalogue announces Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme under TAMS 3
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. today announced the opening of a dedicated Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme as part of the suite of measures currently available under TAMS 3.
Announcing the opening, Minister McConalogue said:
“I am delighted to announce the opening of this scheme which will encourage farmers to create additional storage capacity thereby providing them with greater flexibility to utilise valuable organic nutrients, especially given more recent unpredictable weather patterns.”
The Minister added:
“This scheme will provide a 70% grant rate for additional storage facilities for managing the importation of organic fertilisers. I can also confirm that this scheme will have its own dedicated investment ceiling of €90,000 per holding solely for nutrient importation storage.”
Investment items will be limited to circular slurry stores, geo membrane lined stores and manure pits to ensure the facility will continue to be available for slurry importation. Eligible applicants must have a contract in place to import nutrients, which should outline the volume of organic fertilisers to be imported.
Copies of the terms and conditions of the Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme, together with the application form, are available on the Department’s website at gov - Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme (www.gov.ie) . Completed application forms should be submitted to On Farm Investment, Department of Agriculture Food and Marine, Johnstown Castle, Wexford or by email to NISS@agriculture.gov.ie
Continuing, the Minister said:
“I am also amending the terms and conditions of the LESS scheme to retrospectively allow access to the LESS Scheme for all farmers, who are farming at a stocking rate of less than 170 Kg.N/Ha. This will allow all applications received from 1 January 2024 to become eligible for LESS investments. In addition, I am introducing changes to the rules surrounding the permanent fencing of watercourses, which will also allow this investment to be available for all farmers.
The Minister concluded:
‘‘TAMS has been a hugely successful and beneficial scheme since its inception. This new Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme and the changes I have introduced to existing schemes will ensure that supports for investments will continue to be targeted to deliver key modernisation, environmental and safety improvements on thousands of farms across the country, while also supporting local economies in the construction phase of developments.”
ENDS
TAMS 3 Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme
• A 70% grant rate for additional storage facilities on farm for managing the importation of organic fertilisers.
• Investment item limited to circular slurry stores, geo membrane lined stores and manure pits.
• Requirement that importing farm has whole farm stocking rate of less than 150 kg.N/Ha, to ensure capacity to spread imported slurry/manure.
• An investment ceiling of €90,000 per holding. This is a dedicated ceiling solely for investment items associated with managing the importation of organic fertiliser.
• For Partnership applications, an investment ceiling of €160,000 per holding will apply.
• Eligible applicants must have a contract in place to import nutrients, which should declare the volume of organic fertiliser to be imported.
Under the On-farm Capital Investment Scheme known as TAMS 3 the Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme will add to the 10 individual schemes which are currently available. These are as follows:
• Animal Welfare, Nutrient Storage Scheme (AWNSS) at 40% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
• Tillage Capital Investment Scheme (TCIS) at 40% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
• Pig and Poultry Capital Investment Scheme (PPIS) at 40% grant rate, with a €500,000 investment ceiling
• Dairy Equipment Scheme (DES) at 40% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
• Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS) at 60% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
• Women Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS) at 60% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
• Organic Farming Capital Investment Scheme (OCIS) at 60% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
• Farm Safety Capital Investment Scheme (FCIS) at 60% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
• Solar Capital Investment Scheme (SCIS) at 60% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling that is separate from other schemes.
• Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment Scheme (LESS) at 60% grant rate, with a €40,000 investment ceiling that is separate from other schemes.
Changes to eligibility criteria for LESS and the Permanent fencing of Watercourses
From 1 January 2024, the Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) Terms and Conditions deem applicants farming at or above 150 kg.N per hectare (as defined under Statutory Instrument 113/2022) in the year of application, or the preceding year, ineligible to apply for LESS equipment. This retrospective change will allow access to the LESS scheme for all farmers farming up to 170 kg.N per hectare, thus allowing relevant applications received from 1 January 2024 to become eligible for LESS investments.
In the case of watercourse fencing, the nitrate regulations only require watercourses to be fenced while stock are present, i.e. temporarily, in field, so the provision of the higher specification of TAMS fence, which typically has a life duration of at least 15 years, is considered a higher environmental standard than required under the regulations.
Queries of a technical nature relating to the specifications should be submitted by email to the following email address: tams@agriculture.gov.ie
For all other TAMS queries contact TAMS 3 Admin on 053 9163425.
Contractors can register their eTC and access code by emailing TAMScontractors@agriculture.gov.ie